Linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Quick Lit for short book reviews.
As I mention in this post, I picked up a few books on cleaning house this month, so you’ll see a bit of a theme.
Is There Life After Housework? : A Revolutionary Approach to Cutting Your Cleaning Time 75% by Don Aslett
Aslett writes the best books I’ve ever read about how to clean house. He’s funny, practical and his books are chock-full of tips that work (he had 6 kids – some housecleaning books are written by single, childless people that just don’t get it).
Don teaches you how to clean efficiently (and with good tools!) so you can get on with life. I giggled in places where Don pokes a little fun at people making their own cleaning products, thinking they’re saving money when mostly they’re spending time creating an inferior product. I’m paraphrasing here since I don’t have the book in front of me… “Hey, you know if you mix crushed rose petals with locusts and green clay, you can make a scrub that will make short work of those dirty softball uniforms!“.
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Dan and Chip Heath
This is my second time reading this book about how habit change happens. Great research and a round-up of others’ work on the topic. The metaphor of the Elephant and the Rider pops into my head often.
Cleaning House: A mom’s 12-month experiment to rid her home of youth entitlement by Kay Wills Wyma
This book gave me some great ideas, but it also made me feel better about my kids! They have good attitudes, just a few small bad habits.
In this book, Wyma outlines how she cured herself of a bad enabling habit, pushed the kids to learn household management skills, and how she dealt with the pushback. Entertaining and practical too.
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
I put this book on hold after watching Simon’s popular TED talk. This principle is applicable to many areas of life, not just business and leadership. (And what is a parent if not a leader?)
No fiction last month, but I put several novels on hold with the library. Read anything good lately?
p.s. The Grove offer I mention here with the fabulous freebies has been extended until Tuesday.
Loved Switch! You’ve inspired me to download Start With Why to my Nook in 5, 4, 3 . . . I also just discovered your other blog, LaSlimFemme — LOVE THM and the absence of the joint pain after giving up sugar last year!! Good stuff, following you now.
awesome! yes, my achy hands and knees are no longer achy… I thought it was arthritis, turns out it was just inflammation from sugar 🙁
Oooh, thanks for the recommendations! I tried to get out to the library this weekend to check out a few investing books, but they were closed for the federal holiday. D’oh! I have an ever-growing list of books to read, but I’ll conquer them eventually. 🙂
The part about inferior homemade cleaning products is true, IMO. I’ve spent time trying to make them and I’m always left with less time and a house that doesn’t stay nearly as clean for nearly as long. I’m going to have to read that book!